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Definately not till she has had the vaccinations. When our puppies leave at 3 months, they have had their first round, but are not yet old enough for the second round or the rabies. I know it's really tempting to take the little girl out to show her off, but resist!

As soon as she is home, get a collar on her and start working with her during the potty outings in your yard and even in the house. It's been my experience that the puppies hate the leash and collar at first.

thanks a lot for the advice, its very helpful, and in answer to your question my pup will be 6 wks old when i get it home in another 4 weeks and it will be vaccinated, but when are the next vaccinations due after that, and how often?

When you get your puppy, ask the breeder what shots she has had and when. Then go immediately to your vet for a checkup, even if the breeder has already done so, and have a checkup done by him/her. Your vet will be able to tell you what she needs and when. The rabies is usually done at 16 to 18 weeks, but again, ask your vet.

I agree, 6 weeks is VERY young for a Cavalier puppy to be taken home. I didn't get Maxx until he was almost 15 weeks, even though I'd seen him at and been visiting him since he was about 2 1/2 weeks.

Just make sure like Nicki says that the pup is properly weaned and feeding well & if I were you my first port of call would be the Vet's surgery just to make doubly sure that she is completely healthy.

I didn't think most Cavaliers were actually taken away from their Mum and socialised amongst each other until they were at least 6 weeks old but I might be wrong here.....

BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE where are you????? I'm sure you'll be able to tell us the answer on this one!

Yes, what everyone else said! 6 weeks is way too young in my opinion; got so involved in the vacination and leash stuff I overlooked the obvious. At 6 weeks we are just beginning to think about starting our puppies on solid food, usually closer to seven weeks. We start the puppies on a small amount of puppy food soaked in water or a canned product called GME to soften it.

I sure would try to get your breeder to keep her longer; heck, they're still nursing on Mom at that age. I know some other breeds let puppies go at 6 weeks, but Cavaliers develop slower than a lot of other breeds. Personally, we wait til our puppies are 11 to 12 weeks old before they go to their new homes. They are more mature, they are BEGINNING to get to concept of house training by going out with our adults, and they are learning to be a dog. We get a lot of pressure to let them go earlier, but we stand firm.

This is indeed a very serious issue. Releasing a pup at 6 weeks is against the Northern Irish CKCS club and UK club code of ethics which all breeders in the club must abide by -- the minimum age is 8 weeks:

A breeder could be censured and not allowed to register pups younger than that. Is this a registered club breeder in the North? If I were you, I wouldn't even consider a pup from anyone not in the club and recommended by the club secretary because of the unfortunate potential for very costly health issues and other heartaches from indiscriminate breeding. This is a breed with very serious health problems and their appearance, and a consequent very short lifespan of perhaps only 6-7 years, typically come along with puppies from breeders who don;t breed for health and aren't involved in the club and showing their dogs. Someone releasing pups this early should be reported if they are a breed club member.

Separate from health issues, at 6 weeks pups need more time with siblings and their mother still, to learn appropriate behaviour. Homing a puppy so young is risking some serious behavioural problems. Two weeks is a huge amount of time in a puppy's life; a six week old is so tiny and barely developed. For puppies this is like the difference between a 6 month and a one year old child as they develop so fast.

I can give you the number of the CKCS club secretary in Northern Ireland if you need it.

You can get the names of the NI puppy register coordinators on this page and you could also ask them about this breeder:

thanks a lot for your information everyone, its been extremely helpful, and i will make sure that i dont get my pup until its a least 8 weeks old, i thought he said 6 weeks but maybe i was mistaken , i will get in touch with him again,i am not sure if the breeder is registered or not, but he was recommended to me by people who have bought from him over the years , and his dogs are beautiful and very healthy and well cared for,but i dont care how long i have to wait on my puppy, it will be worth it[/b]